Analysis

Conservation Strategy Fund helps local conservationists use economic tools to find smart, efficient solutions to the most urgent environmental problems. Since its creation in 1998, CSF has conducted dozens of analysis projects in forests, rivers and coastal environments. Most of our work has focused in the tropics, where extraordinarily high levels of biological diversity are found. To maximize the reach and quality of our work, we involve leading experts and conservation organizations in all of our projects.

With support from the Andes Amazon Fund, CSF conducted an analysis on multiplier effects of tourism spending in Peru’s national parks. Peru has created eleven national parks and numerous other protected areas in its Andes Amazon region covering approximately 18 million hectares. While efforts are currently under way to address existing funding gaps, the long term financial sustainability of Peru’s protected areas requires a substantial, long-term increase in allocation of public funds. Furthermore, Peru’s biological importance justifies expansion of the existing protected area system in the Andes Amazon, further increasing funding required.

Colombia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. The country's fifty-nine protected areas are managed by Parques Nacionales de Colombia (PNNC) who hope to use Payments for Environmental Services (PES) to stimulate conservation and restoration of ecosystems. With support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, CSF provided capacity building and technical support to support PNNC in this endeavor.

CSF-Brazil conducted a study to subsidize the design and implementation processes of the Cotas de Reserva Ambiental (CRA, Environmental Reserve Quotas) market regulations by the Brazilian States to help conserve the forest in a more economically efficient and environmentally sound way.

With support from the Good Energies Foundation, CSF is working to create an innovative platform in Bolivia called CASA Verde, which aims to improve conservation by promoting greater participation and awareness among society.

The first step of this project was a feasibility assessment of the platform that was conducted in 2017. The study concluded that the implementation of CASA Verde is feasible given private sector interest in the platform. Several NGOs also want to be part of CASA Verde´s portfolio projects, and people have showed a positive willingness to contribute (monetarily) to the platform.

CSF Indonesia led a multi-stakeholder sustainable development planning process for the North Aceh Regency. This planning process included two workshops. The first was a Scenario Planning Workshop, which generated an optimum scenario for North Aceh in the year 2032. The second was the Development Planning Workshop, which translated and embedded the scenario, vision, and mission into actual development programs. Participant represented CSOs and government agencies, as well as local stakeholders.

Results of this process are expected to be adopted to become the technocratic draft of the medium-term development plan by the regency government.

Conservação Estratégica (CSF-Brazil), in partnership with Instituto Centro de Vida (ICV, Institute of Life Center), International Rivers and Operação Amazônia Nativa (OPAN, Native Amazon Operation), carried out a detailed study on the construction of the proposed Castanheira hydropower plant on the Arinos river, in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. This study had three goals: (1) evaluate the financial feasibility of the project; (2) contribute to the analysis of socio-environmental impacts associated with the construction of hydroelectric dams in the Amazon region; and (3) provide information to decision makers about this type of infrastructure through a cost-benefit analysis of the dam.

CSF conducted a desk-based study of potential local costs associated with the construction of the proposed Isiolo Dam in the Ewaso Ng’iro River in Kenya.

The dam has been identified by Kenya’s National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation as necessary to improve local livelihood by providing water for domestic and livestock use, small irrigation activities, and in the future, for tourists in the proposed Isiolo Resort City.

However, there has also been opposition to the proposed construction, based on concerns that the dam could expose herders downstream to drought, negatively affect endangered wildlife, and put the local wildlife-tourism based economy at risk.

As part of a generous grant from the Walton Family Foundation, CSF conducted fishery opportunity analyses in three Latin American countries with important fishery sectors: Peru, Chile and Mexico. These analyses were designed to help CSF identify the best ways and geographies in which to grow our integrated marine and fisheries strategy, which helps to improve conservation decisions by incorporating sound economics into marine and fisheries management. Until now, CSF’s Oceans and Fish program has been focused on the Indo-Pacific region, but with this timely support, we began to lay the groundwork to expand our marine program in Latin America, where CSF has a long-standing terrestrial presence.

CSF is doing an economic feasibility analysis of the implementation of the Agro-extractivist Cooperatives and Associations Network of the State of Amazonas (RECABAAM) to help improve the Brazil nut value chain.

Traditional peoples and communities' agro-extrativist associations and cooperatives in Protected Areas in the Brazilian state of Amazonas face several challenges. These are mainly related to their businesses' management and the commercialization of their products, such as the Brazil nut, pirarucu fish and fruits, among others.

CSF Programa De Becas

Are you interested in doing a project with CSF?

We help NGOs and governments conduct economic analysis of important environmental issues, such as costs and benefits of infrastructure development and valuing protected areas and environmental services. If you have existing funding for economic analysis, or would like to explore creating a joint proposal, please contact us.